Business: Government Assistance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to support small businesses.

David Gauke: At Budget, the Government announced a new £2,000 Employment Allowance for small business and charities that from April 2014 will reduce their employer national insurance bills. Up to 1.25 million businesses will benefit with around one third of all employers taken out of paying employer NICs altogether.
	In January the annual investment allowance was increased ten-fold from £25,000 to £250,000 for two years. This provides a valuable cash flow benefit that will directly help around 90,000 businesses, and is likely to be of most help to small and medium-sized businesses.
	Further, the Bank of England's Funding for Lending Scheme is encouraging more lending to the UK economy, including providing strong incentives to banks to boost lending to small businesses. The Government is also creating a Business Bank to support the development of diverse finance markets and bring together the management of existing schemes into a single, commercially-minded institution.

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 12-month lending growth to all small and medium-sized enterprises, as defined by the series which appears in Chart B from the April 2012 edition of the Bank of England's Trends in Lending publication was in each month from January 2009.

Greg Clark: The 12-month growth in lending to SMEs was published in the Bank of England's April 2012 Trends in Lending publication and is available on its website, for each month from September 2009 to February 2012. This data is no longer published. However, the Bank's Money and Credit publication provides more recent data on lending to SMEs.
	Published data show that the rate of contraction of net lending to SMEs has slowed down, while gross lending to SMEs increased since August 2012 when the Funding for Lending Scheme was announced. The extensions made to the Funding for Lending scheme in April 2013 focus on strengthening incentives to lend to SMEs.

Devolution

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library any concordats which his Department or the public bodies for which he is responsible have with the devolved administrations.

Danny Alexander: The Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements, agreed in September 2012, set out principles which underlie the relationship between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These documents are available in the Library.
	The Treasury in addition has agreed bilateral concordats for handling of procedural, practical or policy matters with counterparts in the devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Copies of the documents are already in the Library.
	We will check whether public bodies have concordats with the devolved Administrations and these, or links to them, will be placed in the House Library in due course.

VAT: Public Sector

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the potential use of VAT avoidance schemes in the public sector; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the number of NHS trusts in England receiving professional advice on reducing their VAT liability; what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government keeps the tax system under review. HMRC will robustly challenge tax avoidance schemes and artificial arrangements that are designed to reduce the tax liability.
	There is no information available in relation to the number of NHS trusts in England receiving professional advice on reducing their VAT liability.
	HM Treasury Ministers are regularly in contact with Ministers from other Departments in relation to tax issues.

Network Rail

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of how partners in the alliance formed between Network Rail, Laing O'Rourke, VolkerRail and Atkins intend to achieve projected savings from Network Rail's budget for the Stafford Area Improvement Programme.

Simon Burns: The Government supports the principle of partnership working between Network Rail and its delivery partners to secure key projects and outcomes more efficiently than would otherwise be possible. The Staffordshire Alliance is one element of the rail industry's commitment to partnership working to reduce the costs and meet the challenges set out by the McNulty report. By working towards a single, collaborative contract based around shared values and behaviours, the Alliance has been able to achieve significant savings when compared with traditional methods of contracting. Through direct engagement with the supply chain, from tender through to contract award; initial savings of circa 10% against a budget of £255million have been made.
	Now post contract award, the alliance through an ongoing programme of innovation and cost control is looking to deliver further savings across the lifecycle of the Stafford Area Improvements Programme. This process is closely scrutinised by Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The ORR has actively approved the use of alliances and has made them part of its funding proposals for Network Rail from 2014 to 2019.

Roads: Construction

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) length of scheme, (b) total estimated cost, (c) contribution set aside from the Government, (d) expected contribution from local government, (e) expected contribution from the private sector and (f) expected contribution from tolling is of each road scheme announced in the Infrastructure Review.

Stephen Hammond: It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested.
	The Government set out its commitment to future infrastructure investment in the Command Paper ‘Investing in Britain's future’ in June 2013. In terms of our national road network, Government has set out plans to treble today's levels of investment in major projects by the end of the decade. Tables A.3, A.4 and A.5 in Annex A of the Command Paper sets out the full pipeline of road projects that this investment will cover.
	We need to finalise the details for some of the scheme options and to determine the delivery programme for the schemes announced. As part of devising the delivery programme, decisions will be made on the specific levels of funding on a scheme by scheme basis.

Tolls

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what his policy is on the tolling of existing roads;
	(2)  what criteria have been used to assess whether existing roads being enhanced should be tolled for future use.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has made a clear commitment not to toll existing road capacity and this has not changed. We have always said we would look at schemes which would fund significant new capacity through tolling. There will be cases where the combination of the significant expense of the scheme and the distribution of the benefits means that it is fair that users meet some of the costs of the scheme, rather than general taxpayers. This would be in very limited circumstances where schemes deliver new roads or transform an existing road into an entirely new route beyond all recognition and there is a strong economic and commercial case for a contribution from tolling.

Transport: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he will take to ensure that money allocated by his Department to the single local growth fund will be spent on transport.

Norman Baker: Funding for transport within the Single Local Growth Fund is not ring fenced for transport purposes only—in line with the recommendations of Lord Heseltine's report “No Stone Unturned”.
	However, we will be expecting the strategic economic plans put forward by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to reflect a balanced package of measures—including appropriate transport projects for their particular circumstances—and capital funding beyond 2015/16 is provided to enable long term planning of priority transport investments in local areas.
	Local Transport Bodies (LTBs) are currently drawing up prioritised list of major local transport projects to be funded, under devolved arrangements, from 2015/16. Our expectation is that, as LTB's plans should have been developed in close collaboration with LEPs, the LEP strategic economic plans should either include schemes identified in these prioritised lists or set out clearly why the LEP has taken a different view from the LTB.
	Officials and Ministers from the Department for Transport will be fully involved in the assessment of the strategic economic plans that will be produced by LEPs and the associated decisions on Growth Deals and the award of Single Local Growth Funding.

Transport: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what input his Department will have into the allocation of monies from the single local growth fund;
	(2)  by which criteria bids for the single local growth fund will be judged; and what role his Department will play in the allocation of funding.

Norman Baker: Guidance on the Growth Deals that the Government will negotiate with each Local Enterprise Partnership will be published shortly. This will include a high level summary of the criteria to be used in awarding funding from the Single Local Growth Fund
	Officials and Ministers from the Department for Transport are fully involved in the development of this guidance and will also participate fully in the assessment of the strategic economic plans that will be produced by Local Enterprise Partnerships and the associated decisions on Growth Deals and the award of Single Local Growth Funding.
	Some elements of the Single Local Growth Fund, including some Local Authority Transport Majors funding, will be allocated on a formula basis.

Transport: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to his Department's announcement of 27 June 2013, whether the indicative allocations from the local authority transport major projects fund to local enterprise partnerships have been superseded by those monies placed in the single local growth fund in the 2013 Spending Review.

Norman Baker: No. The Local Authority Transport Majors funding that has been included within the Single Local Growth Fund comprises 3 elements: a guaranteed minimum funding to be allocated to each Local Transport Body/Local Enterprise Partnership area on a per capita formula basis shortly—as previously planned; committed funding for schemes already approved by the Department, but to be delivered partly or wholly after 2015; and further funding to be allocated to Local Enterprise Partnerships on a competitive basis through their Growth Deal negotiations with Government.

Travel

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has allocated to spend on cycling and active travel in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Norman Baker: The Department has allocated £177m of funds in 2013-14 and £127m of funds in 2014-15 to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) where 95 of the 96 LSTF projects have cycling or walking elements in them. This is on top of the £36.8m allocated in 2013-14 to go towards improving cycle safety and infrastructure, linking communities, rolling out cycle rail and creating a cycling legacy in our Cities and National Parks, a further £25.2m will go to this in 2014/15. Departmental funding allocations for 2015-16 are still being developed, however we are working to ensure the best result possible for cycling and walking.

Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not record a staff vacancy rate and no rate has been assumed for Business Planning purposes for 2012 -13. However, staff turnover in the financial year 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 was 6.24% and it remains at a similar level so far in 2013/14.
	The Department has strict controls to the process of filling the resulting vacancies. External recruitments are only considered for approval if they are deemed to be frontline, or other business critical e.g. for safety, in line with Cabinet Office guidance.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the digital communication requirements of smart meters; and what assessment he has made of the mobile and broadband communications infrastructure required in rural areas.

Gregory Barker: Officials from the Department are in regular contact with those in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure coordination of our policies in relation to communications infrastructure for rural areas.
	A competitive procurement process is under way for the communication service requirements of smart meters. A number of technologies have been proposed. Depending on the solution selected for each region, these may, or may not, make use of parts of the mobile telephony infrastructure in which investment is being supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Offshore Industry

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce emissions from the upstream oil and gas industry.

Michael Fallon: Government is determined to maximise overall economic recovery of UK oil and gas and minimise any waste of these national resources. To this end we restrict, via a formal consenting procedure, flaring and venting of gas from UK oil and gas fields, to the minimum levels that are technically possible and economically sensible. In addition onshore flaring operations require a permit from the relevant environmental agency under the Environment Agencies Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.

Polyisobutene

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on fish and other wildlife of the discharge of polyisobutene from ships in early 2013.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and its delivery bodies worked with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) and other organisations such as the RSPCA, RSPB, and the Devon and Cornwall. Wildlife Trusts, to monitor the impacts of the serious polyisobutene related incidents, in February and April 2013 along the South Coast of England, in particular on sea bird populations.
	For example, the Environment Agency carried out initial sampling and analysis of material taken from affected birds on behalf of the MCA. The aim of this work was to try to help the MCA identify what the likely pollutant was in the early stages of the first spill. During the second incident they undertook limited water quality sampling at a number of beaches but found no evidence that bathing water quality had been adversely affected.
	While the incident is unlikely to have had significant adverse effects on the functioning of the marine ecosystem or on commercial fisheries it has caused unnecessary suffering and is highly regrettable. DEFRA is continuing to work closely with the Department for Transport and the MCA to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Employment and Support Allowance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people with (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) rheumatoid arthritis and (c) multiple sclerosis placed in the work-related activity group for employment and support allowance have been reassessed to date; and how many have been found fit for work following that reassessment;
	(2)  how many people with (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) rheumatoid arthritis and (c) multiple sclerosis placed in the support group for employment and support allowance have been reassessed to date; and how many have been placed in the work-related activity group following that reassessment;
	(3)  how many people with (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) rheumatoid arthritis and (c) multiple sclerosis who have undergone more than one work capability assessment while in the work related activity group for employment and support allowance have received lower point scores when they were reassessed to date.

Mark Hoban: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest publication was released in April 2013 and can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employment-and-support-allowance-work-capability-assessment-april-2013
	Table 6 in the spreadsheet accompanying the publication breaks down how claimants are allocated to the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG). This shows that 54% of claimants entering the WRAG after the initial WCA on their claim, did so based on the points awarded at the WCA. The remainder entered the WRAG for reasons other than points awarded at the WCA, these reasons are explained in the publication.
	In response to the first question above, table 1 as follows provides information on the number of claimants who were awarded the WRAG based on points scored at the initial WCA and who were subsequently awarded fewer points at the second WCA on the same claim. Claimants who were awarded the WRAG at the second WCA based on a reason other than points scored have been excluded.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of claimants in the WRAG at the initial WCA who were awarded the WRAG at the 2nd WCA but received points—All new ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2012 
			 Health Condition Claimants awarded fewer points at 2nd WCA 
			 Cystic Fibrosis (1)— 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 60 
			 Rheumatoid arthritis 90 
			 (1 )Denotes nil or negligible 
		
	
	Table 2 as follows provides the requested data for the remaining questions above.
	
		
			 Table 2: Comparison of outcomes of the initial and 2nd WCA on the same claim—All new ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2012 
			 Health condition Claimants in WRAG after initial WCA who were then found fit for work at 2nd WCA on the same claim Claimants in support group after initial WCA who then entered the WRAG at 2nd WCA on the same claim Claimants having 2 or more WCAs on the same claim 
			 Cystic Fibrosis 10 10 220 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 100 100 3,560 
			 Rheumatoid arthritis 270 90 2,820 
			 Notes: 1. All figures relate to claims starting between October 2008 and August 2012, who have completed at least two WCAs on the same claim. 2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 986W, on social security benefits, what the total amount of benefit withheld from fixed jobseeker's allowance sanctions was in 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 986W, on social security benefits.
	The table shows the total amount of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) withheld to the nearest £ million (in actual prices) as a result of fixed sanctions in each of the last four years up to 22 October 2012:
	
		
			  Benefit withheld from fixed JSA sanctions (£ million) 
			 2009-10 11 
			 2010-11 43 
			 2011-12 45 
			 2012-13 (to October 2012) 60 
		
	
	The total amount of benefit withheld as a result of benefit sanctions is interpreted here as the maximum benefit amount that claimants would have received if they had continued to be on benefit for the length of the sanction. Since some people would have flowed off benefit in the period of the sanction and that also they might have flowed off benefit had they not received a sanction, the figures calculated represent overestimates for the actual benefit that might have been withheld.
	This calculation is performed for both people aged under 25 and over 25-years-old to reflect different JSA rates.
	The calculation does not net the figures for hardship payments.
	Additional data on jobseeker's allowance fixed sanctions has not been published.
	On 22 October 2012, a revised jobseeker's allowance sanctions regime was introduced. The publication of statistics covering the new regime has been delayed to allow sufficient quality assurance.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on each passported benefit for jobseeker's allowance claimants, in each of the last three years; and how much he estimates will be spent on such benefits in each of the next three years.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the expenditure of the following passported benefits: Housing benefit, council tax benefit, funeral payments, Sure Start maternity grants and cold weather payments. Details of expenditure can be found in the table:
	
		
			 Estimated expenditure paid to passported JSA claimants in the last three years 
			 £ million 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Housing benefit 2,755 3,105 3,332 
			 Council tax benefit 498 534 568 
			 Sure Start maternity grants 9.7 6.0 4.5 
			 Funeral payments 3.3 3.6 3.8 
		
	
	A breakdown by individual qualifying benefit is not available for cold weather payments.
	Forecasts by passported benefit are not available. However, a forecast of Housing benefit expenditure paid to all JSA claimants, including non-passported contributory JSA claimants, is available in the 'Housing Benefit' sheet at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/195319/expenditure_tables_Budget_2013.xls.xls
	Future expenditure on council tax benefit is the responsibility of local authorities.
	Notes:
	The breakdown of Sure Start maternity grant and funeral payments is estimated based on the social fund computer system data.
	2010-11 and 2011-12 figures are aligned to the latest published expenditure out-turn available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2013
	2012-13 figures are aligned to the published Social Fund White Paper 2012-13 available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209379/DWP_Annual_Report_on_the_Social_fund.pdf
	The breakdown of HB and CTB expenditure is based on a combination of statistical data and local authority subsidy returns, as outturn expenditure data is not available at this level. Expenditure in 2012-13 is estimated and is subject to change. These estimates are consistent with the latest published expenditure out-turn available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2013
	The expenditure on other passported benefits is the responsibility of the individual Departments or local authorities that have the ownership of the benefit in question.

Staff

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: The information is as follows:
	(a) From June 2012 to May 2013 DWP spent a total of £17,445,421 on recruitment agency fees, which is primarily salaries paid to interim staff.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Spend on recruitment agency fees (interim recruitment) Spend on recruitment agency fees (permanent recruitment) Total 
			 June 2012 561,858 12,000 573,858 
			 July 2012 1,268,210 12,028 1,280,238 
			 August 2012(1) 1,789,605 — 1,789,605 
			 September 2012 1,649,958 383 1,650,341 
			 October 2012 1,873,096 31,981 1,905,077 
			 November 2012 1,455,818 — 1,455,818 
			 December 2012 1,460,006 26,643 1,486,649 
			 January 2013 1,360,284 188,837 1,549,121 
			 February 2013 1,265,883 71,921 1,337,804 
			 March 2013 1,059,541 44,312 1,103,853 
			 April 2013 1,999,901 57,456 2,057,357 
			 May 2013 1,246,842 6,928 1,253,770 
			 Total 16,991,002 452,489 17,443,491 
			 (1 )Child Maintenance Group expenditure is included from August 2012, when they joined DWP. 
		
	
	These workers are engaged where we do not have available skilled resource in- house, mainly in specialist roles such as project management and IT.
	All central recruitment is authorised only in exceptional circumstances and is subject to ministerial approval.
	(b) From June 2012 to May 2013 DWP spent a total of £14,963 on outplacement fees for displaced or redundant staff.
	
		
			  Spend on outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff (£) 
			 June 2012 — 
			 July 2012 — 
			 August 2012 — 
			 September 2012 — 
			 October 2012 1,200 
			 November 2012 1,450 
			 December 2012 1,550 
			 January 2013 1,550 
			 February 2013 — 
			 March 2013 8,052 
			 April 2013 1,161 
			 May 2013 — 
			 Total 14,963 
		
	
	(c) From June 2012 to May 2013 DWP spent a total of £9,913,741 on staff training. For clarity, this does not include any travel and subsistence or salary costs of the DWP employees attending the training.
	
		
			  Spend on staff training (£) 
			 June 2012 268,890 
			 July 2012 259,924 
			 August 2012 445,356 
			 September 2012 585,372 
			 October 2012(1) 830,603 
			 November 2012 993,696 
			 December 2012 501,355 
			 January 2013 1,047,590 
			 February 2013 1,151,705 
			 March 2013 2,959,746 
			 April 2013 361,264 
			 May 2023 508,240 
			 Total 9,913,741 
			 (1 )From October 2012 DWP contributed towards the cross-government learning provider Civil Service Learning.

Adoption: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the pilot scheme for early adoption in North Yorkshire; if he will set out the criteria which have to be met before adoption within 28 days is permitted; and if he will confirm that each case will be judged on its merits and that the 28 days target will be ignored where circumstances demand.

Edward Timpson: I am not aware of a pilot scheme in North Yorkshire relating to early adoption but would happily receive information about it. The Department does not set adoption targets, but it expects local authorities to meet the timeliness thresholds set out in the adoption scorecards and the time scales set out in statutory guidance.
	I support local authorities' efforts to tackle delays in the adoption system so that children for whom adoption is appropriate can be placed with their adoptive families earlier than they currently do. The paramount consideration is the child's best interests and while local authorities should not aim for speed to the detriment of children, there is clear evidence that unnecessary delay is detrimental to children and must be tackled.

Free School Meals: Yorkshire and the Humber

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire were eligible for free school meals in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in each of the last 10 years.

David Laws: Information on the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in state-funded nursery and primary and state-funded secondary schools in Haltemprice and Howden constituency, East Riding of Yorkshire local authority and England for 2006 to 2013 is shown in the tables.
	Comparable data for earlier years is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals as at January 2013 is published in the Statistical First Release 'Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2013'(1).
	(1)Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013
	
		
			 State-funded nursery and primary and state-funded secondary schools(1,2,3): number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4,5), January each year: 2006 to 2013, England, East Riding of Yorkshire local authority and Haltemprice and Howden constituency 
			  State-funded nursery and primary schools(1,2) 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 England         
			 Number on roll(4,5) 3,899,445 3,860,420 3,837,680 3,825,475 3,838,680 3,873,175 3,947,650 4,045,835 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4,5) 664,975 654,290 637,170 652,305 711,405 743,255 760,910 776,445 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 17.1 16.9 16.6 17.1 18.5 19.2 19.3 19.2 
			          
			 East Riding of Yorkshire local authority         
			 Number on roll(4,5) 24,534 24,129 23,695 23,370 23,217 23,186 23,635 23,786 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4,5) 2,141 2,073 1,847 2,015 2,414 2,776 2,782 2,779 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 8.7 8.6 7.8 8.6 10.4 12.0 11.8 11.7 
			          
			 Haltemprice and Howden constituency         
			 Number on roll(4,5) 6,872 6,766 6,646 6,614 6,659 6,645 6,736 6,725 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4,5) 339 327 301 328 396 459 474 422 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 4.9 4.8 4.5 5.0 5.9 6.9 7.0 6.3 
		
	
	
		
			  State-funded secondary schools(1,3) 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013(6) 
			 England         
			 Number on roll(4,5) 2,985,905 2,955,210 2,913,725 2,883,245 2,864,345 2,837,825 2,809,815 2,779,190 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4,5) 439,125 425,110 413,365 417,970 441,145 450,275 449,485 452,600 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 14.7 14.4 14.2 14.5 15.4 15.9 16.0 16.3 
			          
			 East Riding of Yorkshire local authority         
			 Number on roll(4,5) 20,467 20,306 19,882 19,650 19,411 19,213 18,779 18,406 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4,5) 1,652 1,634 1,533 1,434 1,664 1,908 1,745 1,741 
		
	
	
		
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 8.1 8.0 7.7 7.3 8.6 9.9 9.3 9.5 
			          
			 Haltemprice and Howden constituency(6)         
			 Number on roll(4,5) 7,644 7,559 7,235 7,015 6,851 6,455 5,961 5,091 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4,5) 759 772 842 833 880 864 767 416 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 9.9 10.2 11.6 11.9 12.8 13.4 12.9 8.2 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes all primary academies, including free schools. (3) Includes city technology colleges and all secondary academies, including free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools. (4) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. (5) Pupils who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15. (6) The Sir Henry Cooper school in this constituency closed in August 2012 and was replaced by Thomas Ferens Academy which is located in a neighbouring constituency. Note: National figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: School Census

Health Education: Drugs

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the time schools dedicate to teaching students about the risks associated with (a) illegal drugs, (b) prescription drugs and (c) legal highs; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not estimate the amount of teaching time schools dedicate to teaching about illegal or prescription drugs, or legal highs.
	All pupils should be educated about the dangers and effects of drugs, and drug education forms part of national curriculum for science. This ensures that pupils are taught about the effects of drugs on behaviour, health and life processes. Provision in this area can be built on and extended through non-statutory personal, social, and health education (PSHE), should schools choose to do so.
	Understanding the risks associated with drugs is an important part of young people's education. To support this we launched the Alcohol and Drug Education Prevention Information Service (ADEPIS) on 13 April 2013, run by the charity Mentor UK, which provides high quality information and advice to practitioners, including teachers. The Department is also funding the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions (CAYT) up to March 2014. CAYT have set up an open-access data bank of quality assured impact studies on services and programmes that support the development of young people. The database will enable schools, commissioners and others to choose the best programmes with a strong evidence of impact.

Apprentices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many apprentices are currently employed by his Department; and how many are aged (a) under 19, (b) 19 to 25, (c) 26 to 30, (d) 31 to 59 and (e) 60 and over.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving the quality and access to apprenticeships.
	From 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2013, the Department offered a total of 2,587 apprenticeship qualifications to the existing work force. The breakdown between years in shown in the table.
	
		
			  Staff taking apprenticeship qualifications 
			 2008-09 321 
			 2009-10 412 
			 2010-11 503 
			 2011-12 682 
			 2012-13 669 
			 Total 2,587 
		
	
	Information on the age range is only available in a limited form for the staff taking apprenticeship qualifications in 2012-13. This is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Age-range Staff taking apprenticeship qualifications 
			 Under 19 0 
			 19-23 27 
			 24 and over 633 
			 Not known 9 
			 Total 669 
		
	
	To provide the full information requested would require analysing the staff records for the members of staff concerned and would incur disproportionate costs to obtain.
	In addition, my Department currently employs one externally recruited apprentice. For data protection reasons, I am not able to give any age information of this member of staff. As part of the new civil service fast-track apprenticeship scheme, the Department has identified 11 apprenticeship vacancies to be filled in September 2013.

Billing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the savings it could achieve by paying its suppliers early in return for rebates.

Helen Grant: The Department has made no such assessments as it already pays all suppliers immediately once they have been approved. This is in line with the prompt payment guidance targets for all central Government Departments to aim to pay 80% of all undisputed invoices within five days

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, except for prisons and buildings used primarily for judicial purposes, in each of the last three financial years.

Helen Grant: The table shows the running costs (excluding depreciation) in each of the last three financial years for the Ministry of Justice's central London estate (SE1, SW1, W1, WC1 and WC2). The table excludes prisons, prison officers' quarters and buildings used primarily for judicial purposes.
	
		
			 Running costs 
			 £ million 
			 Property/holding 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Units 4 and 5 Mitre House 1.69 1.95 1.59 
			 102 Petty France 36.40 35.35 34.02 
			 Clive House 4.00 6.49 6.66 
			 Steel House 3.49 3.65 3.85 
			 Ashley House 0.07 1.38 1.43 
			 Grenadier House 0.18 3.58 2.90 
			 Millbank (5th floor) 0.96 0.96 0.85 
			 Chancery Lane 3.32 3.29 3.35 
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road 1.05 2.36 2.51 
			 Carlton Gardens (Privy Council) 0.37 0.40 0.18 
			 2 Marsham Street(1) 5.60 3.00 0 
			 Great Peter Street(1) 2.35 0.50 0 
			 Drummond Gate(1) 2.32 2.32 0.97 
			 Abbey Orchard Street(1) 1.89 1.89 0 
			 22 Kingsway(1) 1.20 1.20 0.48 
			 Abel House(1) 2.37 (2)-0.47 0 
			 Cleland House(1) 1.99 (2)-0.43 0 
			 (1 )No longer used by MOJ. (2 )Predominantly tax rebates. Note: Territorial Offices (Wales Office and Scotland Office) are excluded. Data is taken from a variety of accounting systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice is committed to reducing the cost of its administrative estate. By 2014-15 we will have reduced our total administrative property holdings from 185 to 94 including 16 to two in central London. From 2015-16 onwards these reductions will save the Department £47 million per year in resource costs.

Crime: Victims

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2013, Official Report, column 25W, on victims' support schemes, how many persistently targeted victims have been identified by his Department in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice does not record or hold this information. In responding to last year's consultation 'Getting It Right for Victims and Witnesses', we identified persistently targeted victims as being one of three groups of victims who can suffer the greatest impact of crime. We know that crime, even when seemingly less serious, can have a devastating impact on victims when committed again and again over a period of time, particularly where a person is deliberately targeted. That is why persistently targeted victims are one of three groups of victims eligible for enhanced services from criminal justice agencies and service providers.

European Convention on Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Government plans to (a) sign and (b) ratify Protocol No. 15 amending the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Damian Green: The United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe signed Protocol 15 on behalf of the UK when it was opened for signature on 24 June. In accordance with Part 2 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, I shall lay Protocol 15 before Parliament after the summer, with a view to completing its ratification this autumn.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the expected budget for HM Courts and Tribunals Service is for the next three years.

Helen Grant: The HM Courts and Tribunal Service gross budget for 2013-14 is £1,547.9 million with forecast income of £565 million, providing a net budget of £982.9 million.
	Budgets after 2013-14 will be set in the context of the overall financial settlement for the Ministry of Justice, future workloads and saving plans.

Landlord and Tenant

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications to prevent a landlord from recovering costs of litigation through future service charges were made to the courts under the provisions of section 20C of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such applications were successful.

Helen Grant: Applications made under Section 20C of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 can be made to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) jurisdiction where there are proceedings before the LVT or the Residential Property Tribunal. Such applications therefore form part of wider proceedings and the LVT does not identify and record separately the number of applications it receives under Section 20C of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It is also not possible to provide the outcomes for these types of case as the outcome of individual applications including those under Section 20C are not analysed and recorded separately.
	The information is held on individual files and attempting to interrogate each file manually and collate the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.
	LVT decisions are published online and can be found at:
	www.residential-property.judiciary.gov.uk/search/decision_search.jsp
	Where applications under Section 20C of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 are made to the county court, rather than the LVT, they are submitted using the General Application Notice, which are not recorded against individual case types. It is not therefore possible to determine how many Section 20C applications have been successfully made in any given year without a manual case count, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid in criminal legal aid costs to solicitors' firms in (a) Ynys Môn and (b) North Wales in each of the last three years for which records are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. We have provided this information as a reasonable proxy for constituency boundaries in relation to the Anglesey local authority and the North Wales region.
	
		
			 Criminal legal aid costs 
			 £ million 
			 North Wales: 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Anglesey 0.54 0.58 0.51 
			 Others 6.20 6.61 5.93 
			 Total 6.74 7.18 6.44 
		
	
	Please note that:
	The costs include VAT and disbursements such as expenses, third party costs, and costs paid by Her Majesty's' Courts and Tribunals Services (HMCTS) on crown court cases.
	The information does not include costs paid by the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, House of Lords, and Senior Court Costs Office. Solicitor advocates are treated as Barristers and costs paid to them are not included as part of the firm.

Press: Subscriptions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice's Library and Information Service purchases publications for the Judiciary, Courts, Tribunals, and for the Ministry of Justice and Royal Courts of Justice libraries. Press Office also buys publications. (There is no central record of any subscriptions held by other business units.) The same account codes are used for purchase of books as well as the types of publications requested and it would incur disproportionate costs to tease these out separately.

Religious Buildings: Fees and Charges

Matthew Offord: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the cost to visitors of accessing religious buildings.

Tony Baldry: Of the 42 Diocese in England (excluding Sodor and Man and Europe) only nine cathedrals charge an entry fee. Chester Cathedral has just abolished all entry charges. Unlike the national museums none of the Church of England’s cathedral or church buildings receive grant in aid from the Government.
	All cathedrals which charge for entry give free access to those attending services (of which there are a number every day of the week), to those who arrive on pilgrimage or wish to pray, some give free entry on Sundays and at other times, generally early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and others give free entry to local residents or church attenders in their Dioceses.
	Only two of the great parish churches charge entry fees or a modest charge to enter part of the church. They are St Bartholomew’s the Great in London Diocese and Holy Trinity Church, Stratford upon Avon in Coventry diocese the resting place of William Shakespeare.
	Both the churches and cathedrals resort to charging primarily to recover the cost of repairing the fabric of the building due to the large volume of tourist visitors they receive.
	The English Cathedrals and Royal Peculiar’s that currently charge for entry as of June 2013:
	Canterbury
	Coventry
	Ely
	Exeter
	Lincoln
	Christ Church, Oxford (to enter college)
	St George’s Chapel, Windsor (to enter castle)(1)
	St Paul’s
	Westminster Abbey(1)
	Winchester
	York Minster
	(1) Royal Peculiar

Press: Subscriptions

Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office spent £31,249 with our main supplier of newspapers and periodicals in the 2012-13 financial year. This is an increase on the previous year as a result of the inclusion, from April 2012, of services which had previously been part of COI.
	Because management units are free to make their own arrangements for the provision of newspapers, periodicals and trade publications no records are kept centrally of total costs.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the extent of (a) Crown land and (b) private land in each of the 14 British Overseas Territories is by (i) area and (ii) percentage of total land area.

Mark Simmonds: Policy on land registration in each of the Overseas Territories is a matter of devolved responsibility for their government. We do not hold a central record of the information requested except for the British Indian Ocean Territory and the British Antarctic Territory. We have limited information in respect of Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) where the British Government was in direct control from 2009 to 2012.
	In the case of the British Indian Ocean Territory, all land is Crown land with none held privately, with a total area of 60 square kilometres being 100% of the total land area.
	In the case of the British Antarctic Territory the entire terrestrial area is Crown land, more than 1.7 million square kilometres, but our territorial claim is held in abeyance by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959.
	At the time of the elections in TCI in November 2012, approximately 68% of land was registered to the Crown. Some 3,000 acres of land has been returned to the Crown since 2009.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many marine protected areas have been designated in each of the 14 British Overseas Territories for biodiversity conservation purposes; and what the extent of the area covered by each such area is.

Mark Simmonds: The designation of marine protected areas (MPAs) is a matter of devolved responsibility. We do not hold a central record of the information requested except for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI), British Antarctic Territory (BAT), British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).
	In 2012 the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) declared a sustainable-use MPA of one million square kilometres in size (equivalent to four times the terrestrial area of the United Kingdom), including over 20,000 square kilometres of no-fishing zones.
	Prior to ratifying the Antarctic Treaty, 1959, which places Antarctic sovereignty issues in abeyance, the UK had only declared a three-mile territorial sea around the British Antarctic Territory (BAT). However, in 2009, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources agreed a marine protected area of 94,000 square kilometres on the Southern Shelf of the South Orkney Islands. In addition, a number of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs), designated under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, comprise marine areas around the BAT. Details of designated ASPAs can be found at:
	http://www.ats.aq/e/ep_protected.htm
	The British Indian Ocean Territory declared a no-take MPA in 2009 across its maritime zone of 640,000 square kilometres.
	There are no MPAs around the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of land area is legally designated as a protected area for biodiversity conservation purposes in each of the 14 British Overseas Territories.

Mark Simmonds: Territory Governments are responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments. We do not hold a central record of the information requested, except for the uninhabited Overseas Territories of British Antarctic Territory (BAT), British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI), and the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).
	The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty provides for the comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and designates Antarctica as a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science. Under the protocol, over 30 areas of the British Antarctic Territory have, to date, been designated as Antarctic Specially Protected Areas. A further four areas have been designated as larger-scale Antarctic Specially Managed Areas. The vast majority of these designations include reasons specifically relating to biodiversity conservation. A full list is available online at:
	http://www.ats.aq/e/ep_protected.htm
	The British Indian Ocean Territory's 55 islands have a total land area of only 60 sq km, within which Diego Garcia accounts for half the area. Of the other islands, none of which are larger than Hyde Park, seven are fully protected whilst the islands of Diego Garcia have part protection. In addition, the Eastern Islands in Peros Banhos are designated nature reserves.
	Within the Sovereign Base Areas (which are administered by the Ministry of Defence), the proportion of land legally designated as protected areas for conservation purposes is: Special Protected Areas—0.52% (4,819 hectares); Ramsar (Convention on Wetlands of International Importance)—0.23% (2,171 hectares); and Special Areas of Conservation—3.10% (28,701 hectares).
	In respect of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the Wildlife and Protected Areas Ordinance 2011 affords an extremely high level of protection to terrestrial habitats and flora and fauna throughout South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is developing plans for Specially Protected Areas, which can be designated under the Wildlife and Protected Areas Ordinance, and will undertake stakeholder consultation on those plans in due course.

Serco

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have any ongoing contracts with Serco Ltd. Spend analysis show that there has been some minor spend, totalling £22,076 during the period April 2011 to June 2013 inclusive; this is displayed in Table 1. Spend prior to April 2011 could be analysed only at disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Table 1—FCO spend with Serco Ltd 
			  Spend (£) 
			 2011-12 8,350 
			 2012-13 13,726 
			 2013 (YTD) 0 
			 Total 22,076 
		
	
	Information for our overseas posts is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Construction

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice he has given to local authorities on providing evidence that housing development sites can be considered viable or deliverable.

Nicholas Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning authorities should identify a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirement, and also identify a supply of specific, developable sites or broad locations for growth, for years six to 10 and, where possible, for years 11 to 15. The Framework defines what is meant by "deliverable" and “developable” in footnotes 11 and 12 on page 12 of the document.
	The Framework also sets out policies on viability, and says that the sites and scale of development identified in a local plan should not be subject to such a scale of obligations and policy burdens that their ability to be developed viably is threatened. In addition, as set out in the Budget, the Government will publish significantly reduced planning guidance by summer 2013, which will include guidance on viability.

Public Expenditure

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the equality impact of his Department's spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has been used to inform his planning ahead of the 2013 comprehensive spending review and with what result; what plans he has to publish the equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as a result of the upcoming comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government considers equality issues in exercising its functions, including in setting priorities within its budget, in order to comply with equality legislation and to ensure it understands how its activities will affect specific groups in society.
	We provided HM Treasury with an equalities assessment of our main areas of expenditure, as well as some additional areas of spending that have particular equalities impacts, both before and during the spending round process.
	DCLG's overall spending round submission was informed by its own equality assessments and by the spending review equalities assessment commissioned by HM Treasury.
	The Government has been clear that producing formal equality impact assessment
	documents is not required in order to ensure compliance with the legal responsibility to consider equality impacts.
	The assessment of equalities feeds into both spending round decisions and future decisions by DCLG. The outcome of the spending round was published on 26 June 2013.

Right to Buy Scheme

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Pudsey of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 1221, on right-to-buy scheme, which local authorities have refused his Department's offer to help promote the Right to Buy.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 18 June 2013
	After the important measures announced at Budget, I wrote to all stock owning local authorities, offering support to inform tenants of their Right to Buy. This includes delivering Right to Buy tenant roadshows in partnership with them in the local area.
	To date, Right to Buy events have been held in Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Croydon, Basildon, Milton Keynes, Bournemouth, Doncaster and Swindon. Others, following initial contact, such as Brighton and Hove, Cannock Chase, Crawley, Enfield, Harlow, Havering, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Norwich, Sheffield, Southampton, Southwark and Wigan, have declined to organise such events. I would urge them, together with like minded authorities to rethink and ensure that their tenants are well informed. Should they change their minds, we stand ready to help organise.
	I visited the excellent Basildon roadshow, and have seen at first-hand the value tenants place on receiving advice and help to explore home ownership further. I would encourage all stock-owning local authorities to consider the needs of their tenants and work with my Department to help inform tenants about the Right to Buy.

Vending Machines

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vending machines in his Department's premises contain snack foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value.

Brandon Lewis: We do not centrally hold information on our local offices which we share with other agencies, where the facilities management is run by other partners.
	Notwithstanding, as is common practice in work places across the country, I can confirm that we have one vending machine in each of our core departmental offices in Victoria and Bristol which serve confectionary/snacks.
	We do not intend to adopt a nanny state approach by removing them: Our catering supplier provides healthy eating options in our canteen, including fresh and seasonal produce. This Government believes in choice in public services.
	I would observe that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister signed a facilities management contract in 2004 which required that there 'must be top-selling brands' of chocolate in the vending machine for the first Secretary of State.
	Ministers in this Administration would regard that as over-specification.

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many members of staff currently working in his Department on the interim business bank have been recruited externally from the private sector.

Michael Fallon: The team working on the business bank project in the Department consists of civil servants and staff recruited externally from the private sector. Five secondees have been brought in from the private sector to work on the project; a number of the Department's staff working on the project have also relevant private sector experience.

Business: Security

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who the members of his Department's Security Standards Working Group are; and what support is offered to small businesses to participate.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is running a call for evidence on organisational standards for cyber security, and eventually the selection of a preferred standard for organisational cyber security.
	Industry stakeholders—among others—have expressed an interest in the call for evidence. These industry stakeholders are collaborating to run a security standards working group workshop to consider their response to BIS' call for evidence.
	An official will be attending the event to observe; but the group is not led by Government.

Derby Economic Response Taskforce

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on the Derby Economic Response Taskforce between July 2011 and August 2012; what assessment he has made of the Taskforce's achievements; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: During the lifespan of the Derby Economic Response Task Force the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills incurred only minimal costs, to cover the chair's expenses.
	At the Task Force's conclusion (16 July 2012), partners agreed that it had played a valuable role in the bringing people together to meet the shared challenge of mitigating the impact of potential job losses. As a direct result of the Task Force's work, a £40 million Regional Growth Fund Round 2 award was made to help strengthen supply chain and innovation capacity within the local economy, diversification into new markets and for creating new business opportunities.
	I have no plans to make a further statement.

EU Grants and Loans: Liverpool

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria he applied in determining the allocation of EU funding for Liverpool city region in the period 2014 to 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: On 26 March the Government announced that for 2014-20 England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would each receive an equal 5% reduction in relation to their overall European regional development fund (ERDF) and European social fund (ESF) allocation for 2007-13.
	In England, the allocations of ERDF and ESF for 2013 set the baseline for allocations for the 2014-20 funding period.
	All transition regions, including Merseyside, will receive an equal c.20% uplift based on their UK spending commitment against the EU budget for 2013. Halton is in the Cheshire NUTS 2 region. Cheshire is designated as a 'more developed' category and will receive a c.5% uplift based on its UK spending commitment against the EU budget for 2013.
	4.3% of England's overall budget for ERDF and ESF was reserved by Government. This will fund a part contribution towards programme administration costs and also a contribution towards a service to support prisoners from prison and into paid employment upon their release.
	Allocations on the basis of NUTS 2 geographies were then converted to LEP areas on the basis of population statistics. Liverpool city region will receive its share of the Cheshire allocation based on the population for Halton and 100% of the Merseyside allocation.
	Allocations were then converted to LEP area on the basis of population statistics.

Green Investment Bank

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the borrowing powers of the Green Investment Bank in 2015-16 have been limited to borrowing from Government rather than from capital markets.

Michael Fallon: The Government has made clear it plans to give the Green Investment Bank (GIB) scope to borrow from the capital markets once targets have been met on reducing public sector net debt as a percentage of GDP. We will continue to keep this matter under review. Giving the GIB scope to borrow up to £500 million of its £800 million funding for 2015/16 from HM Treasury's National Loans Fund is a sensible step to take in advance of reaching that point, giving the Bank the opportunity to demonstrate it can make a profit operating with funds borrowed on commercial terms.

Industrial Disputes: Military Bases

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what reports he has received on (a) the state of industrial relations between ISS contractors and trades unions at certain RAF stations and (b) recent industrial actions by trades union members following the collapse of pay talks with ISS; if he will intervene to encourage talks to resolve the situation; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: We have not received any reports on the state of industrial relations between ISS contractors and trade unions. The Government considers that the resolution of disputes is a matter for the parties involved. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the specific details of this case.
	The Government believes that strikes should be a last resort and that it is better to resolve disputes through dialogue wherever possible. The independent Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) stands ready to assist the parties in reaching an agreement, where they both accept its involvement.

New Businesses: Young People

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses created as a result of funding from the start-up loan scheme are in each parliamentary constituency.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold constituency data for the Start-Up Loans programme and does not require the Start-Up Loans Company to provide disaggregated data at this level.

Oil: Canada

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential value to UK businesses working to support the development of the Canadian oil sands.

Michael Fallon: Canada has the world's third largest proven crude oil reserves, with 97% of Canada's proven oil reserves found in Alberta's oil sands; only about 16% of these 169.3 billion barrels is currently under development. The monetary value of these reserves are subject to prevailing market rates. So far there has been no assessment on the accessible value from the oil sands for UK business.
	Since 2008 12 UK companies have opened offices in Alberta following their accessing of UKTI market services, and are supplying goods and services to the oil sands industry including in recruitment, cabling, waste recovery, software, imaging and project management. We also maintain close and regular dialogue with major UK investors in the Canadian oil and gas sector, including with BP, Shell and Amec.

Sky Lanterns: Sales

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to reviewing the availability for sale of Chinese lanterns.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has responsibility for consumer product safety issues. Evidence suggests that the risk to consumers by the sale of Sky Lanterns is extremely low, and as such we do not see the need to restrict their availability. However, following the incident at Smethwick recycling plant over the weekend, BIS continues to liaise closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Communities and Local Government on the wider issues attributed to the release of sky lanterns.

Students: Loans

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the announcement in spending round 2013, Cm 8639, that the resource accounting budget for higher education student loans will increase to £4.4 billion in 2015-16.

David Willetts: The BIS student loan resource accounting budget (RAB) falls outside the ONS definition of PSCB (public sector current budget). The student loan resource accounting budget is used to ensure control over the long-term costs of the student loan book, but does not directly impact the fiscal aggregates.
	The resource accounting budget for FY2015-16 of £4.4 billion is not directly comparable with the FY2014-15 baseline figure of £2.9 billion set in 2010, because of changes since 2010 including the following:
	macroeconomic conditions, which have increased the RAB charge to around 35%;
	increases to repayments thresholds since 2010;
	the introduction of further education loans since 2010.
	The total outlay on student loans will increase between FY2014-15 and FY2015-16 as a result of a higher proportion of students being eligible for higher fee loans. Decisions have not yet been taken on rates of tuition and maintenance loans in academic year 2015/16.

Vending Machines

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many vending machines in his Department's premises contain snack foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has five vending machines installed on its premises. The machines stock a variety of confectionary and soft drinks.
	A selection of healthier snack options such as fresh fruit can be purchased in BIS staff restaurants and coffee bars throughout the day.
	BIS also has a choice of healthy food items on its weekly restaurant menus and has a traffic light system detailing nutritional information about each dish:
	Red—this dish is either high in dairy products and or deep fried
	Amber—this dish contains dairy products or has been shallow fried
	Green—this dish is healthy and has been cooked using minimal oil, char grilled or oven roasted
	Salt is not available on the dining tables.

Crime: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests, (b) deportations and (c) investigations have been made as a result of the allegations database since it came into operation.

Mark Harper: Since 30 September 2012, when the Allegations Management System (AMS) was introduced, allegations have resulted in 2,695 investigations with visits by Immigration Enforcement officers, 1,840 arrests and 660 removals. This figure includes deportations and administrative removals.
	The arrest and visits data is taken from the National Offenders Database (NOD) and the removals information is from the Case Information Database (CID). The data covers the period up to the end of May 2013.
	Notes:
	1. All figures quoted are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
	2. The numerical information contained within has been rounded to the nearest five.

Devolution

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library any concordats which her Department or the public bodies for which she is responsible have with the devolved administrations.

James Brokenshire: The Memoranda of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements, agreed in September 2012, set out the principles which underlie the relationship between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These documents are available in the House Libraries.
	The Home Office is currently discussing a concordat with the Welsh Government and with the Scottish Government. Once agreed they will be published online through the Cabinet Office website and copies placed in the House Libraries.
	Each public body is responsible for any concordat it has agreed with counterparts in the devolved Administrations, and for providing information on them. This information is not retained centrally.

Domestic Violence: Hampshire

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the terms of reference are for the reducing bureaucracy pilots in respect of domestic violence complaints in the county of Hampshire;
	(2)  what methodology her Department used to inform the reducing bureaucracy pilots in respect of domestic violence complaints in Hampshire;
	(3)  what evaluation she has made of Phase 1 of the reducing bureaucracy pilots on domestic violence Hampshire.

Jeremy Browne: The pilot was set up under the then joint Association of Chief Police Officers/Home Office Reducing Bureaucracy Programme Board, chaired by Chief Constable Chris Sims, currently transferring to the College of Policing. The aim of the pilot was to develop a proportionate and risk based approach to responding to reports of domestic abuse.
	Development of Phase 1 of the pilot was informed by published academic research and consultation with academic experts in the study of domestic violence.
	The evaluation of Phase 1 of the pilot consisted of a process evaluation to understand how the pilot affected the process of risk identification and management. Issues arising from Phase 1 are now informing the development of the next phase of the pilot.

Drugs: Crime

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of trends of those who take legal highs moving on to take illegal drugs; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Government has not made an estimate of trends in the number of individuals who take new psychoactive substances (NPS), or so-called “legal highs”, moving on to take illegal drugs.
	The Government takes the issue of NPS use very seriously and is leading the global effort to tackle the threat they pose. Although sometimes referred to as "legal highs", NPS cannot be assumed to be safe and often contain a mixture of substances including controlled drugs.
	We are working with the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to develop our evidence base and with wider partners to target these drugs on all fronts. The NPS Action Plan, which provides the framework for Government activity, sets out how we aim to reduce demand by raising awareness of the harms associated with NPS; make it difficult to obtain and supply NPS that pose risks to health; and ensure that statutory services are able to effectively provide treatment and recovery.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Hizb-ut-Tahrir is active on UK university campuses; and what assessment she has made of the level of any such activity.

James Brokenshire: As outlined in the Prevent Strategy 2011 we believe there is unambiguous evidence to indicate that some extremist organisations, including Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), target specific universities and colleges (notably those with a large number of Muslim students) with the objective of influencing and recruiting students to support their agenda. We are aware of a small number of Universities in the UK where HuT have an influence.
	We keep the threat of extremism on university campuses under review, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills works with Universities and Student Unions to ensure they are aware of the risks and are given support, advice and guidance to help them manage these. The recently appointed Prevent regional co-ordinators for Further and Higher Educational institutions are identifying pockets of extremist ideology in universities, and helping to equip institutions and student groups to challenge those ideas.

Immigration: Married People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have had their spousal visa cancelled in each year since 2008.

Mark Harper: In answering this question we have taken “cancelled” to mean spousal visas that were granted and subsequently the applicants' leave was curtailed.
	
		
			 Table 1: Curtailed spousal applications, despatched between January 2008 and March 2013 
			 Decisions despatched Spouse/partner curtailed 
			 2008 536 
			 2009 426 
			 2010 418 
			 2011 226 
			 2012 180 
			 2013 58 
			 Notes: 1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to main applicants only. 3. Data relate to curtailments dispatched between 1 January 2008 and 31 March 2013. 4. Data relate to sponsor visas and applications curtailed. 5. Curtailment data relates to both spouse and partner applications. These data cannot be disaggregated to show spouse applications only.

Connaught Asset Management

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations HM Revenue and Customs plans to make into the Connaught Income Series 1 Fund over alleged fraudulent activity; and what investigations her Department has already made on this matter.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is legally prohibited from discussing the tax affairs of identifiable businesses.
	Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenues Customs Act 2005 imposes a duty of confidentiality upon officers of HMRC which means they are unable to disclose information which relates to functions of HMRC. This includes any specific action taken in response to information provided.

Broadband

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of local authorities' capacity to match-fund the further £250 million in funding for superfast broadband which has been proposed for 2015.

Edward Vaizey: Local authorities and the devolved Administrations have allocated over £700 million of funding from local funds and the European regional development fund for the current rural broadband projects, reflecting the priority that these bodies give to implementation of superfast broadband. The Government is confident that they will continue to recognise the benefits of investing in broadband delivery.

Digital Broadcasting: North Yorkshire

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she has taken to improve the digital television signal for residents of (a) North Yorkshire and (b) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom estimates that 98.5% of UK households have access to 17 channels including public service broadcasting (PSB) services on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform, and just under 90% of households are also able to receive these and additional DTT channels. Around 1.5% of UK households cannot easily receive DTT services with less than 0.5% not able to receive DTT services at all. However, DTT, cable and satellite digital television services together cover practically 100% of UK households, so that in all but the most exceptional of cases, everyone should be able to get digital television by one means or another. As well as subscription services, digital satellite TV offers non-subscription reception options for a one-off equipment and installation cost, but with no on-going monthly payments. There are no plans to require broadcasters to improve the DTT coverage levels agreed for digital television switchover in 2006.
	The current DTT coverage figures for the North Yorkshire and the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency are set out in the table.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Area DTT Services 3 PSB Multiplexes (access to 17 channels including PSB channel) DTT Services All 6 National Multiplexes (access to all channels on DTT) 
			 North Yorkshire 98 86 
			 Harrogate and Knaresborough 100 99 
		
	
	Coverage is dependent on viewers having suitable rooftop aerials that are directed to the most technically appropriate transmitter for the specific address, and also depends on there being no significant localised obstructions such as trees or tall buildings within (or near) the path between the viewer's aerial and the transmitter. Viewers can check which transmitter serves their own location with Digital UK on 08456 50 50 50 or at
	www.digitaluk.co.uk/coveragechecker

Internet: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the minutes of and list the attendees at the recent internet and child safety summit held by her Department.

Edward Vaizey: Attendees at the internet summit on 18 June are listed as follows. While no formal minutes were taken, a number of actions were agreed. These were: all attendees signing a 'zero tolerance' pledge in relation to child abuse images online; a new proactive role for the IWF and CEOP; additional funding from a number of internet service providers to support this new proactive role; the adoption of 'splash pages' by all relevant organisations by the end of June, and; for all attendees to report to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport within one month on the opportunities for greater use of technology to support the new proactive approach in removing child abuse images.
	Maria Miller MP, Secretary of State, DCMS
	Damian Green MP, Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice, Home Office
	Edward Timpson MP, Minister for Children and Families, DFE
	Claire Perry MP, Prime Minister's adviser on the sexualisation and commercialisation of children
	Internet Watch Foundation
	CEOP
	Yahoo
	Google
	Microsoft
	Twitter
	Facebook
	British Telecommunications
	British Sky Broadcasting
	Virgin Media
	Talk Talk
	Vodafone
	O2/Telefonica Europe
	Everything Everywhere
	Three UK

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with (a) other government departments and (b) non-governmental bodies on strengthening the role of libraries in (i) promoting digital and other forms of literacy and (ii) providing access to public computers in (A) areas of serious deprivation and (B) other areas, and otherwise furthering national policy.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 1 July 2013
	I recently had discussions with the Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd) and I am due to meet Ministers in Cabinet Office, Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government on the Government digital agenda in the provision of the library services. In addition, Arts Council England (ACE) as an arms-length body of Government has identified four priorities to sustain and develop a 21st century public library service including making the most of digital technology and creative media. While many public library services run by the local authorities across England already promote digital literacy and provision of access to computers and the internet, the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) in partnership with ACE and The Reading Agency, launched the Universal Offer's initiative in January 2013 which included the Universal Digital Offer that defined the minimum a public library authority should provide and what customers should expect from their public library. This includes free access to the internet for every customer for a minimum period of time and staff trained to help customers access digital information. This initiative is being rolled out across public libraries in England during 2013.

S4C

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the percentage change is in her Department's funding for S4C over the next two years.

Edward Vaizey: The following table sets out S4C's allocation for the financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15and the percentage change between those years.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Total funding From DCMS From BBC 
			 2013-14 82.861 6.561 76.3 
			 2014-15 82.787 (1)6,787 76 
			 (1) +3.4%.

Staff

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months.

Edward Vaizey: The information is as follows:
	(a) Recruitment agency fees are contained within the invoices submitted by the agency, the rate of charge will vary depending on the individual candidates pay rates but this charge is not separately identified on the invoice hence the Department is unable to separate agency charges from the overall payment to the agency for each candidate.
	(b) The Department paid outplacement fees for displaced or redundant staff of £63,000 in October 2012.
	(c) The amount the Department spent on staff training and development in total in the last 12 months is set out in the table:
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
			 April 25,903.00 
			 May 3,730.50 
			 June 3,336.30 
			 July 5,219.30 
			 August 3,124.46 
			 September 0 
			 October 34,445.64 
			 November 20,091.10 
			 December 992.80 
			 January 3,945.38 
			 February 20,331.00 
			 March 11,986.68 
			 Total 133,106.16

Telecommunications

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to publish a White Paper on a draft Communications Bill.

Edward Vaizey: The Government has been working closely with industry and others to see how we can improve our digital infrastructure and ensure proper protections are put in place for consumers. We will be taking action where necessary, and will set out our strategy and vision for the sector shortly.

Training

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible enrolled in publicly-funded training courses in each of the last five years; what the total cost has been of such courses; and what the monetary value was of the 10 highest training course fees in each such year.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS does not hold central data for the number of delegates attending training courses—attendance is authorised and responsibility devolved to line managers to ensure individuals are getting the training and learning they need to do their jobs and develop their competences. The monetary value for the total cost of courses and the 10 highest training course fees in each year is detailed as follows.
	DCMS does not hold data for its public bodies.
	2012-13
	Total cost of courses: £102,866.
	Monetary value of 10 highest training course fees in the year:
	1. £30,000
	2. £12,500
	3. £9,500
	4. £6,500
	5. £4,850
	6. £4,386
	7. £3,756
	8. £3,215
	9. £1,611
	10. £1,611
	2011-12
	Total cost of courses: £110,102.
	Monetary value of 10 highest training course fees in the year:
	1. £12,500
	2. £10,966.80
	3. £10,800
	4. £9,125
	5. £9,012
	6. £5,760
	7. £5,400
	8. £1,290.60
	9. £636
	10. £500
	2010-11
	Total cost of courses: £324,698.
	Monetary value of 10 highest training course fees in the year:
	1. £13,500
	2. £11,162
	3. £10,950
	4. £10,950
	5. £10,950
	6. £9,204
	7. £7,578
	8. £7,507
	9. £7,123.20
	10. £6,765
	2009-10
	Total cost of courses: £525,068.
	Monetary value of 10 highest training course fees in the year:
	1. £21,936
	2. £17,450
	3. £15,170
	3. £12,097
	4. £12,000
	5. £11,979
	6. £10,500
	7. £10,500
	8. £10,089
	9. £9,100
	10. £8,828
	2008-09
	We do not hold records for this period.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport spend on car services for ministerial travel through the Government Car Service, is set out in the table. Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year. The Department spend on other forms of ministerial travel is also included in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Ministerial cars through GCS Taxis Other cars T and S/Overseas (including rail and flight travel) Totals 
			 2009-10 305,397.32 4,225.33 937.92 32,870.00 343,430.57 
			 2010-11 90,739.92 3,247.80 637.92 28,755.00 123,380.64 
			 2011-12 1,740.81 11,596.69 1,637.45 47,646.00 62,620.95 
			 2012-13 n/a 10,185.00 0.00 42,257.00 52,442.00 
			 Total 397,878.05 29,254.82 3,213.29 151,528.00 581,874.16

Accident and Emergency Departments

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of unfilled posts in accident and emergency departments in each hospital trust in England in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The information in the following tables is taken from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Vacancies Survey March 2010 and March 2009. The surveys focus on vacancies within NHS hospital and community health services. This information has not been collected and held centrally since March 2010.
	HSCIC can provide vacancy data by strategic health authority (SHA) area and organisation for consultants with an accident and emergency specialty. Data provided is for consultants, as specialty data within the vacancy collection was gathered for consultants only. The figures quoted are the numbers of vacancies which employers were actively trying to fill as at 31 March in each year. Top line data relating to each SHA area is publicly available on the HSCIC website.
	
		
			 Accident and Emergency vacancies 2010 2009 
			 England (Total) 91 82 
			 North East SHA area 1 2 
			 North West SHA area 24 9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA area 8 3 
			 East Midlands SHA area 5 3 
			 West Midlands SHA area 18 7 
			 East of England SHA area 3 0 
			 London SHA area 14 30 
			 South East Coast SHA area 5 4 
			 South Central SHA area 5 5 
			 South West SHA area 8 20 
			 Special health authorities and other statutory bodies 0 0 
			 Source: HSCIC Vacancies Survey 2010 and 2009 
		
	
	
		
			 Accident and Emergency vacancies 2010—Breakdown by organisation 
			  Number 
			 England (total) 91 
			 North East SHA area 1 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 North West SHA area 24 
			 Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 1 
			 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 16 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 1 
			 Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA area 8 
			 Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 6 
			 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 Scarborough And North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust 1 
			 East Midlands SHA area 5 
			 Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 2 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 1 
			 West Midlands SHA area 18 
			 The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 5 
			 George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 1 
			 Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 2 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 9 
			 East of England SHA area 3 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
			 London SHA area 14 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust 2 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 2 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 1 
			 The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 1 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 4 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 1 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 1 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 2 
			 South East Coast SHA area 5 
			 Dartford And Gravesham NHS Trust 1 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 3 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 1 
			 South Central SHA area 5 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 2 
			 Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 3 
			 South West SHA area 8 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 2 
			 Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 1 
			 Special health authorities and other statutory bodies 0 
			 Source: HSCIC Vacancies Survey 2010 
		
	
	
		
			 Accident and Emergency vacancies 2009—Breakdown by organisation 
			  Number 
			 England (total) 82 
			 North East SHA area 2 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 1 
			 North West SHA area 9 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 1 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 2 
			 Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust 2 
			 Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Trust 3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA area 3 
			 Rotherham General Hospitals NHS Trust 2 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust 1 
			 East Midlands SHA area 3 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust 2 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 1 
			 West Midlands SHA area 7 
			 North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust 2 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 4 
			 East of England SHA area 0 
			 London SHA area 30 
			 Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust 19 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 5 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 1 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 1 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 1 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 2 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 1 
			 South East Coast SHA area 4 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
			 Medway NHS Trust 1 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 2 
			 South Central SHA area 5 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 5 
			 South West SHA area 20 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 8 
			 Poole Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 3 
			 Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust 1 
			 The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2 
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 3 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 2 
			 Special health authorities and other statutory bodies 0 
			 Source: HSCIC Vacancies Survey 2009.

Cocaine

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been admitted to hospital as a result of cocaine use in each of the last six years.

Anna Soubry: Data on the number of hospital admissions are collected by finished admission episodes rather than by number of people. Data on the number of finished admission episodes to hospital with a primary diagnosis are associated with cocaine use for each year since 2006- 07 are given in the following table. It is important to note that finished admission episodes do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year
	
		
			 Finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis is associated with cocaine use, 2006-07 to 2011-12 
			  Finished admission episodes 
			 2006-07 1,086 
			 2007-08 1,376 
			 2008-09 1,375 
			 2009-10 1,025 
			 2010-11 1,107 
			 2011-12 1,027 
			 Notes: 1. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Primary diagnosis codes used: F14.0 Mental and behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: acute intoxication. F14.1 Mental and behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: harmful use. F14.2 Mental and behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: dependence syndrome. F14.3 Mental and behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: withdrawal state. F14.5 Mental and behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: psychotic disorder. F14.7 Mental and behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: residual & late-onset psychotic disorder. F14.8 Mental & behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: other mental and behaviour disorder. F14.9 Mental & behaviour disorder due to the use of cocaine: unspecified mental and behaviour disorder. R78.2 Finding of cocaine in blood. T40.5 Poisoning by Cocaine. 3. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Drugs: Misuse

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many accident and emergency (a) attendances and (b) admissions relating to (i) illegal drug use and (ii) legal high use there were (A) in total and (B) in each hospital trust in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people aged (a) 0 to 18 and (b) 19 and above were admitted to hospital following the abuse of (i) illegal drugs and (ii) legal highs in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The information which is collected centrally about hospital admissions does not separately identify newer substances such as legal highs or identify whether a drug has been taken legally or illegally. For example, the information collected on opiate related admissions does not distinguish between opiates that have been prescribed for a medical reason and opiates taken to get 'high'.

Health Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff in Hull and East Yorkshire Primary Care Trust were paid over (a) £50,000, (b) £65,738 and (c) £100,000 in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: As part of the changes brought about by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, primary care trusts were legally abolished on 1 April 2013. At the time of their closure there was no organisation known as the Hull and East Yorkshire Primary Care Trust (PCT). However, there were two separate PCTs, Hull Teaching PCT and East Riding Yorkshire PCT. The figures provided as follows are for these two organisations.
	
		
			  Number of staff in Hull Teaching PCT Number of staff in East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 
			 Salary 31 March 2013 31 March 2012 31 March 2011 31 March 2013 31 March 2012 31 March 2011 
			 Over £50,000 33 28 35 42 33 47 
			 Of which:       
			 Over £65,738 13 11 12 27 19 17 
			 Of which:       
			 Over £100,000 4 1 1 3 2 2 
		
	
	These figures are sourced from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, NHS Staff Earnings Estimates. They represent staff paid using the NHS Electronic Staff Record system. They are based on the actual basic pay that an individual earned in March each year, multiplied by 12. They do not include redundancy payments or bonuses.

Hospitals: Fast Food

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many fast-food franchises are operating on NHS hospital sites in England;
	(2)  what guidance his Department and NHS England issue to hospitals on the sale of foods high in fat, sugar and salt in retail and food outlets on hospital sites.

Daniel Poulter: Decisions on food franchises in hospital sites are made locally. Information is not collected centrally on the number of such franchises in operation. Likewise, any discussions about the food on offer are held locally and are the responsibility of those who agree the contracts between the trust and the outlet.
	The Department and a number of its agencies issue guidance on food served by the national health service to patients, staff and visitors. Some of this guidance refers specifically to retail and food outlets.
	Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (Food GBS), launched in June 2011, cover nutrition and sustainability aspects of food provision. Whilst not mandatory for hospitals, NHS organisations are encouraged to adopt the Food GBS, which includes recommendations on reducing fat and salt, including more fruit and vegetables on the menu and making sure food is bought in an environmentally sustainable way.
	There is guidance that caterers could use to help provide food that meets the nutritional needs of adults working in NHS organisations—Public Health England is planning an update to this guidance. This guidance—“Healthier and more sustainable catering: A toolkit for serving foods to adults”—can be found on the Department's website:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/147376/dh_127593.pdf.pdf
	The Department also encourages employers to sign up to the Responsibility Deal's pledge on healthier staff restaurants. This specifically mentions fat, salt and sugar as well as other recommendations on fruit and vegetables and portion size. Further information is available on the Department's website:
	https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/health-at-work-pledges/
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidance in December 2006 for the NHS on tackling obesity: “Guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children”. It includes recommendations that the NHS as an employer should actively promote healthier choices in restaurants, hospitality, vending machines and shops. This guidance can be found at:
	www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11000/30364/30364.pdf
	NHS England does not have responsibility for issuing guidance to NHS trusts on the sale of foods.

Surgery

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what factors contribute to surgeons' performance data;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that surgeons are not discouraged from taking on complex cases with high risk because of possible effects on their performance data;
	(3)  what research he has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned on the possible effects on patient outcomes of (i) publishing surgeons' performance data and (ii) publicly naming surgeons who do not publish performance data.

Anna Soubry: NHS England began the staged publication of mortality rates for individual hospital consultants in 10 specialties, leading a drive to give patients more information about their treatment, helping the national health service drive up and maintain the quality of care.
	It is intended that publishing outcomes will encourage professionals to implement treatment options that are proven to be most effective for high risk patients, enabling an increased number of high risk patients to successfully undergo surgery.
	Where possible, data are adjusted to take into consideration the risk of a procedure on patients with different risk factors. Improvements in risk adjustment methodologies will be stimulated by putting data into the public domain.
	There will inevitably be a small number of outliers, which is where the consultant's data is outside an expected range. A surgeon could be an outlier due to the difficult cases that they undertake and does not necessarily reflect an issue in performance. It is important that the data is reviewed by experts so that the published data are properly understood by all.
	Monitoring and evaluation of data on performance outcomes will be conducted by NHS England and Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership which will include surgeons taking on complex cases with high risks.
	In adult cardiac surgery, where results have been published at consultant level since 2005, there is no evidence that publication encourages risk averse behaviour. There has been an annual increase in high risk patients receiving cardiac surgery in the United Kingdom. Despite these high risk patients being given the option of surgery, mortality rates have actually gone down significantly.
	NHS Choices will act as the central hub of information and specialist societies and audits are encouraged to be innovative in the way that data are presented in order to stimulate further research.
	The Department has not commissioned any research specifically surrounding the effects on patient outcomes from the surgeon performance data and publicly naming surgeons who do not publish performance data.